Oceania Publications, University of Sydney

Oceania Publications, University of Sydney
The Death of a Strong, Great, Bad Man: An Ethnography of Soul Incorporation Author(s): Jadran Mimica Source: Oceania, Vol. 73, No. 4 (Jun., 2003), pp. 260-286 Published by: Oceania Publications, University of Sydney Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40331906 . Accessed: 19/04/2013 12:00
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The Death ofa Strong, Great,Bad Man: An Ethnography Of Soul Incorporation

Mimica Jadran
University ofSydney
ABSTRACT andinterpretation ofthe death ofa Yagwoia-Angan is a detailed Thepaper great description the in theperiod rites andoftwosoul-incorporation killer-warrior preceding performed is a synthesis ofexistential Theinterpretive framework interment ofthe phenomecorpse. articulated the andarchetypal cosmo-ontologithrough psychology nology, psychoanalysis, andoriginalithe lifeworld. Thepaper elucidates calspecificities ofthe dynamics Yagwoia which as a self-generative sense ofthe world ofthe totality (world-body) bodily ty Yagwoia humans and individual itself itsinternal constitutive parts, incessantly through reproduces and is This their self-devouring self-copulating. group-containers.dynamic simultaneously that eats the is the ofouroboros, Itsmost characterisation serpent image archetypal apposite the lifeworld theontological clarifications oftheYagwoia-Angan itsowntail.Following concrete unfolds as a hermeneutic of main theme of thepaper ethnographic synthesis manifest in made andcritical ofthe existential Yagwoia process descriptions interpretations and andthe dead. ofthe concrete practices living experiences PROLOGUE will unfold in reference to theinner horizons of theYagwoia lifeworld. My discussion as an Theirterritory is themanifest which, (environment) 'physical'spreadof an umwelt is bound to its constitutive content (container), intrinsically (conecologicalenvelopement is therealm The latter ofintersubjectivity, a collectivity ofhuman forwhom tained). beings of enveloping worldis irreducibly and inescapably their lifethis,strictly local, fraction worldin relation to whichall other can becomeaccessible.In thisabode world-horizons humans areborn, as themselves, of theirrelive,anddie primarily ie., as theembodiments local realities of humanness and thehuman condition. Situated between thelocal ducibly oftheskyandearth, thiscollectivity is divided of some 10.000individuals, into perimeters fiveterritorial ortribes, in thesensethat arethemost inclusive traditional groups they political-territorial socialensembles of constitutive individual human whoare comprised beings into several dozen latice I will them as (lit., root-knot). organized penis gloss patrilineal descent Heremyfocuswillbe primarily on twoof thesegroups: groups.1 Iwolaqa-Malyce andtheIqwaye,separated theheight ofwhich bya mountain range averages approximately 1800-1900m. On bothsidesof thedivide, thesettlements and gardens thealtitude occupy between and 1200 m. 1800 range and within theserangestheindependent nation Stateof PNG Rightherein-between has a somewhat fluidand slippery in thelastelections incarnation. So muchso that (midof thisregion found itself in a so-called'boundary the 2002) a part gap' becauseof which local candidates werenotallowedto register their nominations on thepretext thattheir hometerritory didn'tbelongto either of thetwoadministrative divisions (Merewaka/East260 Oceania 73,2003
Mimica ButI willnotdeal with thegovor Menyamya/Morobe ernHighlands Province Province). in theYagwoialifeermental-bureaucratic of thismostrecent societalfiguration modality The following thenationstateof PNG and its vicissitudes world, locallyand nationally. willsuffice. theYagwoia,whoseabodeis, bythePNG socio-economic As concrete egoities living in themarginal But neither of PNG, are notcitizensubjects. are exactly standards, region theoffices of the state thosewho inhabit (rooms)and 'offices'(bueraucratic positions) the thePrime outsiders, institutions, Undoubtedly, many including Ministership. including health and education of administrative, advisors, economic, governmenphalanxes foreign and indeed,theformer tal and NGOs, green-peace businesspeople,2 expatriots lawyers, havechildren, to PNG individuals, of PNG, aremarried whobecamethecitizens property, life-worlds intoa semblance ofnumerous PNG tribal all contribute to thecoagulation they civiliis thecreation of Western state. nation of an independent This,to be sure, capitalist its instituting 1984, 1987, 1997). The sation, (Castoriadis cultural-ontological imaginary3 which has difficulties state in thebosomof a Melanesian of thenation semblance country, of that(whollyalien) capitalist in making itself a viableincarnation significaimaginary thecreation is irreducibly tioncalled 'democracy', of, and forthe sake of, theWestern selfand successful civilisation's totalisation, ie., thehistorical planetary self-satisfying twostill of which thefollowing of itsontological-imaginary realisation auto-significations the world 'of of rational 'unlimited the (Castoriadis, 1997), mastery expansion carry day: themodeofOccidetermine Thesetwoinfinities ofvitalresources. andlimitless 'scarcity' universal intotheworldas a singular dentalself-projection and, as such,theycame to as civilisational of theOccidental thecurrent define bespoken project presently trajectory 'globalisation'.4 since 1977,have fought The Yagwoia,amongwhomI have livedand worked bloody is repletewithdeeds of total Theirhistory wars untilthe middleof the 'last' century. of of complete therouting of enemy destruction villagesand thekilling involving groups who weresetafire. in their houseswhich them often their Anybody inhabitants, bytrapping of The self-consciousness outside. outwas killed tobreak waiting bythewarriors attempted coof to a recourse makes no violence their own of in these peaceful gospel people respect was and stillis notsomeof violence fortheYagwoiathepractice existence. Significantly, of action ofit.Andas a coordinated butis an intrinsic tohuman external part sociality thing male of for the vehicle was a violence one groupagainst another, accomplishment major and thehuman manwhobegets theprocreative a father, life, By becoming egoic selfhood.5 hisown consummates of human thedestroyer a consummate life,a manthus warrior, fully humanness immanent (Mimica1991). aregrounded lifeinthissocialuniverse ofhuman excessesandannihilation The violent not as the'human i.e. whatcan be indexed senseof humanness, in a different condition', social human determined and historically of culturally abstract but,as it were,thetotality relations. of state alien societalfiguration to a totally and subjection Theirfirst 'pacification' are the the of 1950. in December and administration control Nevertheless, Yagwoia began all the used to do and,despite in their own primordial life-world, peoplewho,stillrooted and enforced whichwereintroduced inhibitions and resulting restrictions by thecolonial Overthelasttwodecadesthis own workof violence, stilldo their killing. state, including activiall other with in and escalation in varied has violence conjunction intensity regional thelocal existence, sustain tieswhich though, Individually, notwithstanding. electioneering as excellentwarrior-killers themselves therewere always thosewho defined primarily both. hadtopractise ofnecessity butwho,nevertheless, cultivators than rather time I the the the with,the greatest longest spent group Yagwoia, IqwayeAmong of intrarecent excessin their villageviolencewas perpetrat(1956) in thedomain history The ten of his closest agnaticrelatives. a singlenight ed by a man who killed during 261
BadMan Death ofa Strong, Great, immediate andcolleagueswhomI toldaboutitwas: 'Didof someof myfriends response n'tthey hima moral did not.Whatmatters to myproblemaNo, they regard monstrosity?' tisation civic-academic of theWestern attitudes to violence(see Mimica2001) as intrinsic is thefactthat as an to human thisactionfortheYagwoiais notcharacterisable sociality, It is an entirely human actionwhich, bad,is devoidof anyattributes inhumanity. although is notconof 'inhuman This is so becausetheYagwoiaviewof humanness monstrosity'. in terms theWestern civic stellated of thosepartialand idealized qualitiesthatinform of whereas focussed on 'freedom', image humanity 'goodness', 'dignity', 'negotiation', other human inadmissible of humanly are,as it were,manifestations potentials properties as inhuman. disavowed In theperiod1996 to 2003 (coveredby sevenstints theYagwoiapeoof fieldwork) a went calamitous time. In late December therainysea1996, during ple through very obliterated a settlement and 50 of its inhabitants werekilled.This was son,a land-slide in thearea of myfieldwork and I was there at thetime.The rainyseason was followed an thataffected theentire New Guinea region.The drought, by a catastrophic drought effect of El Nino,lasted 12 months and effectively endedin April-May of 1998. Coinwas an indeterminate of thedrought cidingwiththetermination epidemicwhichkilled 30 men,women, and children in thehamlets is locatwhere myfield-base approximately ed. On the otherside of the range,among the IqwayeYagwoia, withwhomI have workedsince 1977, the drought was moreacute due to the predominance of anthroin their environment. To makeit worse,in March 1997 theybecame pogenicgrassland in a conflict withtheir a-speaking this since a teacher from entangled Meny neighbours a comtribal and robbedby two Yagwoia men.Although e) was murdered group(Patay was paid to theenraged thehostilities have notdiminished sincetheincitribe pensation dentaggravated thelong-standing land disputesand theoffending Yagwoia groupsare withtheir of new conflicts Such,in livingunderthethreat neighbours. Menya-speaking are themostsalientcharacteristics of thepresent relative to its short, Yagwoia situation current history. YAGWOIALIFE-WORLD, ITS FLOW,AND THE GENERATIONOF THE SOUL Whether ordying theYagwoiaareinescapably intheincessant flowofcosmic living caught at once in every individual andin theenvironment. Within andwithout, theconexistence, tainer andthecontained arehomoeomorphic. of a singleself-enveloping Theyaretheparts closure in on itself ofthelocal world which is turned itsownsubandincessantly generates coterminous withall itsparts. This ontological is an ethnographicformulation stantiality, of theYagwoia mythopoeic interpretive explication cosmology, especiallyits innermost secretcore whichaccounts fortheautopoietic creation of thefirst, bisexualman whose thecosmos.Hencethenotion as an aptcharacteroftheworld-body bodyis simultaneously isation oftheYagwoia(Mimica1981,1988,1991).Thismythopoeic imageis theinnermost truth andthesource oftheYagwoialifein all experiential world. Immanent of physicalities theYagwoialife-world is thismacrocosmic His penisis simultaSelfhood. (= world-body) his umbilical cordwhichhas held,and stillholds,in self-conjunction theskyand neously earth. thecosmogonie theskyandearth wentasunder as did all Following self-parturition, other the and sun which derive from the creator's two elements, moon, including eyes.They are his masculine and feminine withtheinterwhich, energie components concomitantly ofthenight anddaygenerate thecosmicmetabolism with(thelife-and-death-flow) change in theworld-body. Its irreducible determination is thatof a self-procreating oral phallus theself-eating and self(Mimica 1991,in preparation itself, a), at once insideand outside eatsandgenerates as a totality itself of all its impregnating phallicwombwhich incessantly self-differentiated each of whichreplicates thewhole.This is a hologramic parts, totality, andauto-cannibalistic. auto-copulative 262
Mimica is a masterly creation of thehuman The Yagwoiauniverse pre-oedipal psychic being I use thearchetypal Neumann which for 1954). (self-eating serpent, imageoftheouroboros embodiment is bestdescribed as a KleinIn itsstructural thisautogenic monadic dynamism is at once macrocosmic and microcosmic. ian bottle whosetopology Everylivinghuman the is a of macrocosmic The male and female, homoeomorph body. topological corpuscule, itsmost structure andreproductive cirbodiestogether maleandfemale complete reproduce in relation can be graspedmorecogently to thefollowing This dynamic cuity. topology - bothof which a and Moebiusstrip amplify serpent sequenceof images- a self-eating I which term ourothe of different of form-generating gestalt archetypal, range implications are the primordial of human boric. Its moreapparent facticity livingconcretisations and themother-child intrauterine condition milieu,focussedon breast-feeding (Mimica 1981,1991). embodiment is in recitheimageof ouroboric in theYagwoialife-world, Furthermore, androots intertwine. with theimageof thecosmictreewhosebranches procalself-identity of a ritual house(inekiye) in theshapeandiconography Thisimageis givenfullobjectivity at theonsetofthefirst initiwouldbe erected existin thevillage, ifitdidn't which, already is a transform of thesame archetypal form This arboreal ationceremony.6 autogenerative = tree-of-life as theouroboric henceitsarchetypal (monadic) image-manifestation dynamis, is objectified in theset of The Yagwoia micro-and-macro world-house. then, bodiliness, interfused (ie., ouroboric) body= tree= house= imagesof theautogenerative archetypal world. in all its whichinforms setof transpositions This is thenuclear Yagwoiaembodiment a specific and amplifies in theset articulates Each image/term articulations. aspectof the and macrocosmic in its at once microcosmic whichmustbe understood bodilytotality, in its narcissistic Self oftheouroboric As an expression extension. (selfprimary archetypal is thus this self-identifying, determination, self-generating, absolutely totality copulative) as an be approached is notand cannot thismatrix-body and self-referring.7 Accordingly, as the Self its which 'I-ness' the self-same of generates bodybutas thebody impersonal has to be monadic Self this lifeworld of matrix As the un/conscious Yagwoia world-body. the of and noesis the constitutive of the as Yagwoia imagination 'ego-pole' primary grasped Worldsynthesis. Selfby and feedsoffthis Yagwoia egoityis inhabited Everyconcrete embodiment.8 and self ofhis/her dimension archetypal in everylivinghumanbodywhose internal is reproduced The macrocosmic gestalt as areenvisaged and itsmarrow skeletal (veinsandarteries) structure, blood-ropes passages house=fleshThe bodilyfleshy arboreal themicrocosmic envelopeis thematernal gestalt. of theblood and marThe circulation 'bone' (skeleton). thepaternal bodywhichcontains of the sustains and is semenal-lacteal latter the substance, modality primary generates row, in soul This basal thehuman conceporiginates (aama-umpne). soul,literally 'person-heat' and heatedin semenwhichbecomesmobilised theheatof theman's(paternal) tionfrom anisourceof foetal heatis theprimary This semenal andeventual intercourse ejaculation. a on and differentiate to continues soul human the mation. par grow Following parturition, due ofthebasal soul-heat is a subtle be emphasised Whatmust with bi-unity growth. bodily and is intra-skeletal marrow The semenal-lacteal fluids. intheintra-bodily tothedifferences andsolarheat;bloodis in theouter osseoushardness flesh, ofphallic as suchhasthequality Bothliquo-thercool andlunar and as suchis a soft, thefleshy liquid.9 envelope permeates in thebasal soul-heat. areimplicit malqualities soul-heat wombhis/her in themother's is, likethe human Since every bodyis forged becauseof thisaspectof It is precisely and soft. feminine maternal flesh, alwaysprimarily thecritical initiation thefirst that human embodied nose-piercfeaturing ceremony, seity10 souls.Thisallowsthe novices' the which action as the characterised is also raptures ingact, its heat-energy, bone (literally powerof the nose-piercing phallic-semenal primordial In and masculinisation. their bodies and instigate to infusetheir growth himace-umpne) 263
Death ofa Strong, BadMan Great, It is terms this is envisaged as a progressive ossification ofthemalebody. bodily-qualitative his father's bone.But here also theprocessthrough whicheach boy beginsto incorporate the'bone' is meant as thesoul-substance is mediated source which bythesingular literally oftheYagwoiamen'scorporeity, thenose-piercing laticeresponsibonesownedby several ble forthenose-piercing Hence they are also categorised as the'bone' groups. operation. Whatmakesevery manequivalent andeach sonto hisfather, is thisfact that to every other, theinitiations, weremademenbymenexclusively; andwhenthey all, through they finally maleandfemale, to thecosmic do so as themenmadeidentical beginto sirechildren, they self-creator (Mimica1991). Sincethey never this women do notcometo directly getnose-pierced, incorporate pure andthereby all-male-exclusive solarstream ofgenerative maximally endogenous spermatic It getsintotheir wombsonlythrough withmen,and of course, intercourse heat-energy. sinceeach human bonesfrom thepaternal menand womeninvariably semen, getshis/her in their their solarpaternal endo-skeletal generate radically paternal interiority inalienably ofthevitalsoul-heat andinterfused with thematernal-lunar self-cirself-circuity enveloped of and flesh.11 blood cuity To summarise: thesoul is energie at once simplex12 substance and complex or multianimatedness itis ceaselessly circulation plex.As thebasal bodily generated byintrabodily of vitalfluids and is subject This vitalheatceases onlyat death, to differentiation. itself, a vitalprocessof bodilydeintegration and absorption intotheworld-body however, (see below).13 Withthisis outlined a meaningful on thespecifically perspective Yagwoia shapesof humanness and worldhood. The whatand how of a livingembodiment, as of a living areentirely indeterminate which can onlybe madedeterminate horizons offacticity world, concrete research. But forthere to emerge determithrough ethnographic anyappropriate nation theethnographer has to situate in thetrue him/herself milieuof selfworldoriginain theun/conscious of thepeoplehe or she is livingwith.It is through the tion,namely examination of dreaming that the can the somatic experience ethnographer comprehend of Yagwoia embodiment its 'material'composition (thatwhichwe imagination whereby as flesh,tissue,organs,skin,bone, blood, semen,or more readilyknow and identify as cells,genes,etc) acquires itsprimary The very idea of 'matter' recently, objectification. as so many kindsof substance, both'bodily'and of the'physical'world, that all requires must be treated as unknown entities which haveto be accounted forfrom (determinations) within thelifeworldspecific and modesof self-intelligibility. In experience, categories factthere is no possibility of understanding one without theother (Husserl1989; Luckmann1970),andsuchan understanding has to be achieved in terms ofan ontology specific to a culture. as 'ontology' does notexistthere as a setofready-made, But,sucha notion reflective, and conceptually Such concepts themselves are theproducts pre-packaged representations. of theethnographer's of a givencultural existence. The ethnographer develinterpretation and ops a set of conceptswhichs/heargueshave a culturally-specific saliency validity which canbe characterized as ontological, anduses them as suchin his/her So, for analyses. whenI say that fortheYagwoiathecosmosis a living, sustained instance, organism by a flowof 'semenal' energy of themacrocosmic, self-created ouroboric man,I say so not because a Yagwoia has exactly toldme so verbatim and en-bloc, butbecause I came to thisview on thebasis of theinterpretation of variousevidence,itselfalso comprehend on myunderstanding of it,andin that senseinterpreted, as adequate I evidence. dependent also claimthat thisouroboric cosmosis a centrepiece of their accordingly which, ontology, as a critical of their is mycritical-explicative the however, existence, construct, conception of mycritical and notof sometheory product interpretations, ofbeingqua being(whichis what wouldinvariably entertain. means)that ontology Yagwoiathemselves self-consciously In thissensetheYagwoiado nothave anytheories of themselves. As themselves do they 264
Mimica and their their have their of themselves world, ideas, imagination, knowledge, experience etc. But no convictions, reflections, attitudes, moods,obsessions,complexes, opinions, and critically abouttheformation amount of these,if one thinks of thecatehistorically Western critical of dianoia,noesis,ontology,14 (doxa, theoria, episteme, knowledge gories construct suchas theclassicalGreektheoria 1962) etc),willmakeup a cognitive (Kerenyi as 'theory' I derivations known anditsOccidental (Mimica1981,1988). epistemic generally butto makeclear notto maketheYagwoiasomehow velyless sophisticated, cogniti saythis worldrequires, a another mode of being-in-thethatto understand minimally, adequately and its habituated of cultural one's own to style self-representation willingness suspend anchorage. THE PLENITUDE OF LIVING AND DYING underduressand thesocial The regionis markedly Back intotheYagwoia world-body. area of myfieldwork. a lot of death,especiallyin the immediate body is metabolising have vehicular road connecting fact that no the is aggravated Here thesituation they by is an and a primary there where themeitherto the local airstrip aid-post (Acaqopi), medwheretrade-stores, via Kwaplalimne) centre school,or to theregional (Menyamya available.Even by thelocal (ie., regionfacilities are morereadily ical and governmental theIwolaqa-Malycaane15 area, whereI have been conducting myresearch al) standards And all is the last these, decade, bycomprogrammes. by developmental bypassed during have a which small. The are rather of other to so PNG, groups regions many parison cash from sourceof reasonable a steady abodeshave secured roadin their vehicular buy- coffee. whose land is ampleand The Iwolaqa-Malyce, ers of theprincipal cash-crop coffee coffeesince it is arduousforthemto carry bags some fourto fertile, growlittle who pay good coffee to sell it to thevehicular fivehoursovertherangesin order buyers from thecoffee price Acaqopi,meansa verylow purchase flying prices.The alternative, evenin thebestof seasons.All in all, theYagwoiaas a whole,and theIwolaqa Malycein ecoof socio-political, Victims andvulnerable. areextremely frustrated, angry, particular, twenof the from andespecially fluctuations, my perspective (climatic) nomic, ecological and havebecomemoreradically with marginalized them, they yearsof connection ty-five to endemic suffering. subject 1999 I of January, On thetenth thismostpoignantly. sceneillustrates The following I came there or less. Half-way four wentto Acaqopi,a hikeof at mostfivehours, usually nextto her. herhusband with of thefootpath in themiddle acrossa womanlying standing at theaidto to Andakombe her she was on getchloroquine way by malaria Incapacitated was she condition in her in the two o'clock was It afternoon; going probably already post. in in one of thehamlets thenight to makeit to theaid-post spending by thenextmorning as themudon thelocal footpaths. as common common thearea.Thisis a very occurrence, was Thiswoman ofthelocal flowoflife-and-death. exhibition was a vintage The encounter is in which she existence flow of total the of less a but no dominated living part bysickness, this of The her is which is the as locked torpidity body. torpid absorbing ground inextricably in which flowofthisworld-body ofthetotal is a figuration humaness sickanimated energie currents. and areitsmetabolic life-and-death (anabolic katabolic) ofa particular thedeath dealswith account The following YagwoiamanwhoseindividI supply a diathis of the realise renown social and dynamism. specificities acutely uality man. childless was a However, matrix of his of through Amilyce(l)16 sociality. kinship gram siswith numerous uncle= MB)17 he was a malemother thebodiesof his sisters (maternal who carried The mourners. the son, were children. ters' onlyclassificatory principal They - classitheson of his 'breast-milk' was Kanalyce(2), thedeceased'spaternal aspirations, thedeceased's brother. matrilateral through Thus,thisis a paternity generated ficatory andmaternal matrifiliation siblingship. 265
Bad Man Deathofa Strong, Great,
rii,/ ^^t"8 7
1. 2. A. B. C/6. Figure 1 : deceased his classificatory matrilateralbrother's son (MFWDSS = MZSS = BS = S) his "mothers" (MBSCh and MBSSCh) his "children" (Zch; principal mourners) (3-5)B's FZS =S; reciprocally,they are C/6's MBCh = "mothers" (all numbered individuals are referredto in the text)
Yakane,Iwolaqa-Maycaane I visited 21/1/96 himbriefly thisafternoon, at about5.00PM. He andone ofhis twowives have been sickforwell overa week.Bothwerean arresting He was a livingpain. sight. Withhis eyes tightly and whistle-blowing, occasqueezed,ceaselessly moaning, panting he was seated a short was supportfor whilehisZS, Tamcaqulyi(4), time, sionally groaning, of his grassapronwerecovering his groinso that his big inghis back.Onlya fewlayers and testicles were visible. were in with his and unison penis fully They throbbing panting His wifeHiqulaqareadjusted hisapron several buthis to coverhisgenitals, times, moaning. relentless wouldquickly undoit.She was very feebleand sick,butduring panting myvisit she squatted without her.Insidethehutwerealso Kamculaqwa and his anyone supporting sonKamqulyi, ZH and ZS. There were several women outside the hut. little Amilyce's Very conversation. that thesickbe taken in Acakopi(about to an aid-post, either My suggestion 3-5 hourswalk) or overtherange, in Kwaplalimne (about5-7 hourswalk),was passed overwithout comment. said: 'No, no way'. The sickman'sbody OnlyKamculaqwa flatly was hotbut,according to Tamcaqulyi(4), thedutiful in hisstomZS, painwas concentrated ach.Amilyce was still less than a so few blood, defecating although daysago. told me that sickness was an due to hislate Tonight, Omilyce Amilyce's definitely affliction WM's spirit whose cowrieshells (ungye)he appropriated and ate (i.e., (wopailymane), withsuchan all-consuming bought pork)someyearsago. Thiskindof sickness, painconin thestomach, centrated is clearly dueto nothing else butilymaneincluding blood-shitting, infested shells. talked about this as a pieceofcommon My interlocutor diagnosis knowledge. Here(among theYagwoia), itis customary for thespirit ofa deceased relative toretaliate for he/she holdagainst theliving, in sucha case as misappropriated anygrudge might especially shells.'It's notjust anysmallthing; it's theshellswhichkilled18 him'.WhenI askedhim whether somehealer declared orwas itjusta hear-say, interlocutor saidthat several this, my 266
Mimica havealready said that thiswas thecase. 'Everybody knewthat healers itis Palycipu already thisdiagnosis (thesickman'sWM) whomadehimthissick,becauseofhershells'.Indeed, atbyonehealer, was already hinted whoI talked toa dayortwoago. Yayonya, malemothers Two ofAmilyce's as hisMBSSons) toldme a fewdays (related classificatory willnotvisit himbecause,whenhissister an outradied,he gavethem they ago that Arneyi small ement (aa'mekne). geously death-pay and his wifeweretreated theonlyhealerin Iwolaqa Maly22/1/96 by Kamuiye, Amilyce hissoul-familiars andhealing from theSimbari in Ya'uwiye caanewhoacquired techniques andCineyi. and Angguye. The latter is nota curer buta 23/1/96 againby Yayonya Theyweretreated ritual forexpelling The curer manwho possessesspellsand particular procedures spirits. of green 22 spirits.19 This was indicated claimedthat he exorcised by thestrands Yayonya The strands were tucked fortheexorcised leaves used as funnels, i.e., receptacles, spirits. whether he managed therafters of theroofinsidethehut.WhenI askedYayonya between werea malignant nameanyofthem. he didn't someofthosespirits to identify Theysimply hiswifeHiqulaqavisibly tobe sick, WhileAmilyce continued gotbetter. collectivity. he was going todie. this andsaidthat earlier to see Amilyce went 24/1/96 morning Angguye fine. was recovering inside thehouse.His wife The sickmanwas asleepandhe defecated has ruptured and His rectum wentagainto see Amilyce. In themorning, 25/1/96 Angguye I also wentwith and pissingmoreseverelythanbefore.Tonight he was now shitting hisZD, Tilyqathat At thehutI learned warrior. to visitthisold,dying yesterday Angguye his stomach, from a stick(kwolyce) had extracted just belowthe lye,who is also a curer, He sticks. twokwolyce extracted it was truethatYayonya askedwhether chest.Angguye bones two kwole'ekne he that extracted him told that (sickness Yayonya emphasized didn'textract said thatYayonya any sicknessbody.Tamcaqulyi Amilyce's objects)from was bullshiting. that declared Laterin thesameconversation Yayonya Angguye object.20 seanceand his 'foreign' werealso madeaboutKamuiye's Comments (ulyce)techcuring he doesn'tis the askedifhe extracted objects.The factthat anysickness niques.Angguye leaves What's theuse of all thosenumerous cordyline aspectof his craft. problematic his I that stated them throws then the into which he blows technique away!? body, through an extracted curer a road intothesick man'sbody,whileanother had prepared allegedly a piece of glass. haveextracted himself and that might Kamuiye sickness-object, arrow-tip a round to Anguguye's sickness, In response yetanother produced Tamcaqulyi questioning with In it. he it to showed and prehim; carefully agreement everybody inspected object, It looked like a tinybrain,fullof intricate sent,he decidedthatit was gumi(rubber). thesickman'sneck. from It was extracted crevices. was very secondwife, warrior's thedying theold Apacipu, flowwas lively; Conversational manhis ZS Tamthedying said thatamongall thoselookingafter animated. Somebody he doesn'tsleepat all - andkeepsa sleeps - nay, caqulyiwas themosteager.He hardly to getup Tamin case his legs slipintofire. on Amilyce, close watch Also,ifhe wouldtry sishis married who affines of him. One assist to is (ZH), youngest Amilyce's caqulyi ready the Two persons look after shouldhave a roster. that ter, they energetically very suggested then sickmanwhiletwoothers change places. they sleep, a bark under was lying from was progressing As theconversation topicto topic,Amilyce he then butat one stagehe also criedand coughed; cover.For themosthe was groaning, continued in pain.The conversation andblow-whistling was whining uninterruptvirtually one suchspell butwithout athim, ed. A fewglancesweredirected During anyinvolvement. nextto thedying who was sitting man,started of intensified Angguye, pain and groaning, 267
ofa Strong, Death BadMan Great, in Tok PisinaboutAmilyce's whenhe was in his prime. recounting joyfully great prowess He was a great strike himdownonto warrior-killer. Whenhe killeda man,he wouldfirst theground, then he wouldstepon thevictim's stomach and forcefully pressit tilltheshit a clubor axe. This was out.Thenhe wouldkillhim/her theskullwith poured by breaking distinctive Whilesaying at Amilyce of killing. this, Amilyce's pointed just style Angguye as he was groaning, andpronounced with andmatter-of-factness: 'He a blendofadmiration is a bad man, this onehere!' was a bad man.A consummate he always went alonepreying Indeed, warrior-killer, Amilyce at his body, his bodywas remarked: 'Whenhe was young uponvictims. Looking Angguye sameas hisfather's. Andnow - old,sickanddying, hisbodyhas shrunk. hugeandstrong; It's all gone'.In hislife-time, hiswardidnotachieve therenown however, Amilyce justfor He also usedto takecareofvisitors riorhood. Athishomestead, from other territorial groups. wereprotected. whenhe dies a largenumber to pour ofpeopleis anticipated Therefore, they into Yakana. hisrelations several havebeensent toYalqwaalye to inform Already messengers about hisimminent Kanadeath. thenewsis spreading that he hasalready died.Thus, Indeed, thismorning withhis son,convinced that his classificatory father lyce(2)arrived Amilyce, in was all tuned FMZS) died.WhenI saw him, (exactly, Kanalyce up forgrieving, although vain- Amilyce was stillalive.21 man'shut, all those at thedying scolded Tonight, Angguye after for he was dead.Thiswillattract newsthat looking Amilyce sending peothoughtlessly and Hyaqwangli. Andifthey come,whowillfeedthem!? ple from every place,Iqwayaane 'Have yougotthefoodready all those waitfor themantotruly for die, people!?'Theyshould then can senda message heis still sick. tothat notnowwhile effect, they Earlier thismorning, toldme that instructed his sisters 'children whoare Angguye Amilyce after himthatno deathpayment mustbe givento his maternal relatives because looking did notlookafter thesemothers himproperly. The foodnorclothes. Theygave himneither death should be to those mothers who payment givenonly (mostly classificatory) properly caredforhimby giving himfood,or pantsand such.Angguye that thedying emphasised mannamed himas one suchcaring As forthetrue mother. matrfilial mothers (MBSCh and As mentioned twoofhisMBSSons havedistanced MBSSCh) - no death earlier, payment! themselves himafter from he gave them a scandalously smalldeathpayment (each 2.00K sister died.The outraged mothers at least50.00K each. only)whenhis first-born expected that 2.00K was a right amount becausesuchmatrifilially related mothers Angguye thought are already too distant. thanmothers, and thekinship term for Theyare morelike friends thisdilution of maternal connection.22 when ndewana,clearlyindicates them, Formerly, shellswerestillincirculation,23 a MBCh wouldreceive 5 cowries, a MBSCh onlyone. 26/1/96 diedlastnight. He hadthree twowives,andhe never sired a child. sisters, Amilyce he was a kwolycikiye and offshoot no to continue his bone Therefore, fruitless) (dry, planted and name.He was primarily a male mother, breastto his sisters'children. ie., mother's toldme that must havediedat about1.00 AM, becausehe dreamed that Angguye Amilyce e brokeup and crushed. This land-mark in Yakanefigures as one of AmiTamauwycliff names(ilayeyeuwye) refers tohismaternal flesh and and,as such, lyce'sendearment bodily The dreamer wokeup then checked thetime on hiswatch. He (see Mimica1991).24 identity decidedthat he saw in his dream death.Sureenough, one Amilyce's earlyin themorning, of thedeceased'sZD came from thehamlet to tellthatherMB was dead. Angguye was pleased abouthis dream.His dreamsneverfail him.They alwaysshow himaccurately whensomeone dies or has tried to sorcerize him.In theevening I went to theaa'ma ka:ce overtwenty from seance).Therewerealready (mourning peopleat thehut,someof them was one of thedeceased'speevedMBSSons. (Other Iqwayaana.Amongthem disgruntled mothers camethefollowing nextto thecorpse, coatedwith night). Sitting completely grey was hisclassificatory a maninhisearly thirties. mud, brother, agnatic 268
Mimica madebox,his legs bentand tiedto thesidesof corpsewas placedintoa ready Amilyce's so that thebox.Pinklinen was placedoverthebodybutthefaceandhandswereuncovered arekept in a net couldsee himandshakehishand.Usually, most mourners corpses arriving was practised a bodycouldalso be tiedontoa rectangular frame bag.Whencorpsesmoking to the next (Mimica 1991). fireplace placed askedme ifI was also goingto from Before Iqwayaane goingto theaa'ma ka:ce9a visitor I I for said that that not felt the old warrior. I would sorry although Angguye weep. replied as soon as we gotto themourning seances.However, criesat mourning hut, he,too,never in front was ofthecorpseas he did so. His wailing he broke intoa tearful wailing, kneeling The moodin thehut Thenhe satnextto thecorpseandjoinedin thedirge-singing. short. all at At moments and once. were was cheerful; prevailed, singing talking singing, people shelin singing. In another kitchen andtalking tookoveronlyto be drowned then subsided butlagging behind the about10 metres ter, dirges, away,a fewpeoplewerealso singing thecorpsewas. Here,at about9.00 PM, theleading in thehutwhere (aapiysinger singing I didn'tnoticewhenhe wentdown and ice), Tamce(3), fell on his back unconscious. he was seizedby his but outto me that a had taken that he pointed nap, Angguye thought to be affected He was thefirst deceasedMB's soul (umpne). bythedeceased.He remained him.Onlya woman, with was concerned forabout20 minutes. unconscious sitting Nobody will be is also a curer, that who me told his head. behind Tamce, him,adjusted Angguye ofhimcalmandeasy.As theleadfora longtimeso I couldtakea photograph there lying Tamceregained After a while, continued. buttalking so did thesinging silenced ingsinger histwo else. Subsequently andbeganto singagain,followed hisconsciousness byeveryone areall their sister and and they brothers, Tilyqalye(5; Tamcalyi Tamconya, possibly younger MB's soul their In this soul. deceased's the seized were incorporated waythey healers), by power. then son (MZSS), wailedfora while, thedeceased'sclassificatory participatKanalyce(2), soul he also feltAmilyce's until thedawn.The nextday he toldme that ed in thesinging than rather to it.Beingan ordinary buthe didnotsuccumb to seize him, which tried person becamevery he did nottakeit in. He onlyfeltheatin his body,and his stomach a curer, theman 'I that think me: told off. He eased it then a for him held Thisseizure while, tight. is a bad 'He then added: He me'. seized he me so some holds against (deceased) grudge clarified of thesoul-seizure of his somatic man'. Our discussion whyit hapexperience pened. thedeceased. with hisrelation was determined concerning bya worry mourning Kanalyce's his father which the of him because a held gave (Kanilyce) pigs against grudge Amilyce to exer'mutual'son.Thiswas a wayforAmilyce to rearforKanalyce, i.e.,their Amilyce to givethemoney was supposed to Kanalyce. cise hispaternal gained Amilyce relationship as hisremuneration. one ortwopiglets whilekeeping thesale ofthepigsto Kanalyce, from it by begrudging He justified he alonekeptand 'ate' themoney. Kanalycefornot Instead, son should.As soon as as a concerned to Yakaneto helphimwithgarden work, coming that he was dead,his twoold wivesratat Amilyce's homstead, thinking Kanalycearrived did.What he never before whereas this for occasion, tledoffabusesat himforturning up aboutthe he wasn'tthinking that them forthosepigs?He assured themoney did he want, ateit,andso be The old father at all; longago he gave up on thosepigsandmoney. money to atonetheir he decided him.However, andbury it.He justcameto mourn bygiving anger be satisfied ifhe gave thetwowidows20K they'd and, that He figured somemoney. them death deceased's the to for a contribution him ask wouldn't as a bonus, They payment. they husandtheir thesale ofthosepigs,they from received eatenthemoney knewthat, having is this contribution. eatenKanalyce'sdeath-payment bandhad already whythey Clearly, arrived. first when andabusive weredefensive Kanalyce 269
Death of a Strong,Great,Bad Man
Suchwas Kanalyce's with balanceofrelatedness hisdead classificatory father andhiswidwhenthedeceased's soul ows. Accordingly, takenby surprise Kanalycewasn'tentirely seizedhim.Whenhe felt in his stomach theheatandtension he immediately announced to that was This kind the deceased at him. of so to of, everybody present getting intensity was anticipated because Amilyce was a strong warriorspeak,thedeceased'slast stand, thelastofhiskind. resentments andattachments he hadmany killer, But,most importantly, himto his livingrelatives and consociates. This was whyhis soul was effecting binding in selected In respect seizures mourners. all of them healof his sisters' children, powerful ofhis soulwas to makethem ers,theincorporation although byno meansimmune stronger, to his vindictiveness. He could stillmakethem sick.Kanalyce, son beinga classificatory and his father's with matrilateral (mediated by his patrifiliation classificatory siblingship hadonlya grudge from their It was ofthedeceasedas a left-over Amilyce) sociality. living notanybetter in themourning nowthat he was dead.Therefore, resistsituation, Kanalyce ed thedeceased'sseizures. now mediated son's self-experiAlthough by his classificatory enceandprojections, it is clearthat, whilestillalive,theresentful of the self-righteousness a his was defence his own but deceased,motivated by greed, against wrong-doing now in theegoic self-experience realised in death, thisinterof his mourning son.Nevertheless, bad conscience has unlimited selfvindication. And foritsresentful subjective possibilities there was more to come. 27/1/96 a somefrom theIqwayearea.To accommodate them, Todaymorepeoplearrived, sheet was pitched on an elevation next hut. to themourning andHilyaqalyplastic Angguye maternal a number of young relatives, conya,one of thedeceased'sdisgruntled persuaded menand olderadolescents to perform two soul-capture mekikice rites, 'rattling (literally, and aa'ma piye hiuwye 'dead person noise', held at night) custom, behaviour', (literally, in daylight). After initial indecisiveness to do them under performed eventually they agreed theleadership of twomarried men.Most adolescent lads wereuninitiated.25 Theseperformancesare gender a femaleversion of thedaytime rite specific. Youngwomenperform whenthedeceasedis a woman whowas a strong and/or renowned for gardener pig-rearing. Women do notperform rite. thenight Onlyas suchis thedeceased'ssoulworth capturing. At about8.30 PM theperformers at a house wheretheinitiated married men gathered instructed themhow and whatto do. One leaderstressed thattheyshouldkickanydog which cametheir notto stepon a womanor childinsideand around wayand to be careful themourning hut.Two other leadersexpatiated on theimportance of thesecustomary rites andthefactthat thedeceasedwas thelastofhis kind- thegreat warrior-killer. Whatever their didacticrhetoric to hold sway over thepreparations, whichdidn't theycontinued lads who,havingnotbeen disciplined in theinitiations, squarewell withtheuninitiated witheverybody. at about 11.00PMthey'attacked'thehutwherethe quarrelled Finally, was. corpse The ritewas powerful, and funny. The performers had baretorsos and woreonly exciting, to thehutwhere was singing; theleading manslammed the pants. Theysneaked everybody roofwitha longstickand,immediately, therestfollowed in frenzy, several times running around thehouse, thewallsandroof with their arrow a fewalso with sticks. bundles, bashing Each performer helda bundle of arrows which he rattled, a succesthereby producing rapid sionofclacking sounds. Thisis intended to frighten, disorient andrepelwhilesimultaneously thecapture ofthedeceased'ssoul,manifesting as possession. fast: allowing Theyalso yelled One of them he was 'mala,mala,mala..' (fight, fight, fight). jumpedontotheroofwhere seizedbythedeceased's soul.He remained entranced Another manalso there, shaking. young ranovertheroof, then on theground, downseveral leaves. Inside, jumped bringing pandanus Outhe came,shouting that thiswas a phoney becausethey Angguye gotupset. performance werenotsupposed tojumpon theroof orcharge inside thehouse, is the that, indeed, although
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Mimica maincharacteristic of therite- to bring downthehouseand notto hesitate to damageit. at himthat a new Someoneshouted tookhimseriously. now,they Nobody right inaugurated - jumping thehouseroof. A friend next custom ontoanddestroying to melaughed standing and thatis thereasonhe is protesting. and said thatAngguye These furious got a fright times. Each time, werepossessed wererepeated three one or twoperformers bythe charges in place,trembling until theothers came running dead man'ssoul and stayed rooted back. andranoff with therest. Thenthey outofthesoul'sgrip snapped to thehousewith thecorpse, was cheerAttheshelter, on theelevation adjacent everybody a seer,was dancing and chanting: An olderwoman/also 'mala, mala, ing and shouting. and 'tate, tate./(olderbrother, olderbrother,). She was one tate, mala,..'(fight, fight, fight) Sometime later riteover,thedirgesinging resumed. withtheperformers. The mekice moreofhisMB's soul.Coatedwith had violent seizures, incorporating grey Tamcaqulyi(4) from thehutdragging and manic, he charged numb mudall overhis faceand body, along andbrought himbackinto thehut. subdued whoeventually menanda woman several from twomoremothers several newmourners in theevening, Earlier arrived, amongthem their deathpayment maternal thedeceased'sdisgruntled lineage.Theycame to legitimize On theother emotional and theydid thiswithout self-display. anydramatic expectation, a manwhoin thissituacamefrom intense a particularly hand, Hiwoye(6), wailing display of the to the sister'schildren relatedness his matrifilial tionwas primarily articulating mudfrom hairto heels,andwas notto thedeceasedas such.He was coatedwith deceased, him.A lad who It tookme sometimeto recognize whenI arrived. at thepeak of wailing distant of thedeceased's offended, thatthismustbe yetanother came withme thought be since that would them from be can kind This of mothers, expected wailing Hilyaqapana. relatedness claimson thebodyof and,thus, their thewayto reaffirm to,thedeceased.But was kneeling on theground therest. with he was already however, there, Hiwoye, singing He thecorpse. around thelap ofone ofthewomen into thrust hisheadandtorso with sitting fell silent. then 10 about on for carried minutes, to his MB and gave them biscuit half-a-dozen his net-bag from packets Next,he produced who are theprincipal on his mothers is focussed mourners, His sorrow and his children. theextent To deceased. of the and the kamba the (ZChildren) (ZH) noye26 being respectively one andonlyMB, whohadno offshoot intotheir anddrained was channeled their that grief andfor them. that he was all theirs them showed ZS in turn ofhisown,their They profusely andblood. flesh is their indeed that he reaffirms but mother's aretheir meat, Hiwoye (male) concerned their from i.e., sister's) (female, edible,gifts these, immediately Theyaccepted in this thedevouring son amidst (some 20 peoplecrammed gathering gazes of theentire into the The mothers it. and to faces their hardto avert smallhut)whotried put gifts ignore defaced had that mud the thick enhanced netbags.Hiwoye'sglazing their coating by eyes, forever is at its optimal The flowof life-and-death at his mothers. pitch: him,are looking of concrete tension in theungratifying-and-ungratified by the yetdriven sociality, caught hasjust substance27 in itsoriginary self-consummation theultimate for source, desire bodily theseizedto from tothedevouring, thedevoured From direction. intheright beenprocessed forthedeceasedis priin thisdeath, of motherhood theone who seizes.Thereis a surplus son Kanalyce, No bonesof anykindfortheclassificatory a mother. onlythedead marily he aloneatethepigs. for was duetohisgreed, Andeventhis man'sresentment. The main event today was the 'dead man' rite wherebysome more of the 28/1/96 comAt 11.00AMwe couldsee a longfileofnewmourners deceased'ssoul was captured. deceased's where the the ascend First to and from steeprange Me'enaqa. Waungwa ing a bark-cape mancarried wereseveralmenand women.A younger is located, homestead belowthehomestead fullof tarooffshoots.28 plateauand dulycoatedthemTheystopped It was impresforthispurpose. mudwhich selveswith brought they lumpsof grey greasy 271
Death ofa Strong, BadMan Great, siveto watch them lavishquantities headandthewholebody. intohair, rubbing Everybody at thehomstead became cheerful. The thoroughly exhausted and mourners were sitting thattheywouldnow simply watchthenewbetel-nuts, chewing verymuchself-satisfied comers'show, andfullofenergy. The preliminaries, i.e.,themudapplithey beingall fresh withthe hitherto mostcheerful cation,leftnobodyin doubt.This over,their exchanges onlookers couldmuster, advanced and,in unison, gave wayto theloudest wailing they they towards thedeceased'shut.Some threw themselves whilethedeceased's ontotheground female in with a a woman, renewed bout of One ofthem, noye(ZChildren) joined weeping. attended to themanwith taroshoots andwipedhisbodywith a pieceofcloth. But an olderman,Wuiplaqwa, delivered an altogether He burst intoa uniquespectacle. and running incantation, medleyof high-pitch, scream-weeping simultaneously capering around thehut,thenswiftly in and out,thento theelevation wheretheresting mourners werechewing betelnuts. watched saidto me: Amused, they gloating approvingly. Angguye 'Did you see his dance?!All his own!' Thatis, everybody act as appreciated Wuiplaqwa's hisowncharacteristic He is renowned for hisgenerally entirely self-expression. quirky style - practical of behaviour was and voicing. This particular situation jokes,impish frisking butan expression ofhisgeneral ofbeinghimself. He gambolled to theplacewhere the style deceased's ZH was, shookhandswithhimwhilecontinuously then he turned skipping; around and shotoff intothehut, tate./(olderbrother, olderbrother). tate, 'tate, screaming: There hejoinedthenewmourners intheir dirge. Severalwomen arrived from plateauthey Me'enaqa. As soonas they gotto thehomestead brokeintowailing. One of them, a youngwomanin herearlytwenties, coated copiously with threw herself A number on theground andproceeded tocrawltowards thehut. of mud, had their women whoalready andwerenowenjoying shareof wailing their young repose, appreciatively laughedat her,even moreso whentheysaw me aiming mycameraat her sincethismadeheran evengreater focusof attention. She rolled, thenshe gotup onlyto thedoorofthemourning hutshebeganbreaking andpulling collapseagain.As shereached thepandanus leaves from whichthewalls weremade.Promptly, a woman, came Talyipu, out and started her:'Is thisyourhouseso you wantto tearit down!?' But to no berating avail. The youngwomanpulleddownanother wall-leaf whiletheangry mourner grabbed herhandandrestrained her.Soon after shecrawled intothehutandjoinedthisfresh collecofhearty mourners. tivity The atmosphere becamehighas thesespirited mourners newvigour intothehitherinjected to flatmood.Everybody was visibly tuned for the 'dead was getting up person'ritewhich still to come.Butittooka goodtwohours iteventuated. before The mourners from Waungwa and Me'enaqa wenta bitflatand already somewereresting under theplasticcoveron theelevation to the hut with the and in adjacent corpse.People wereeatingindividually smallgroups. Someofus,especially the of lads,wereimpatiently young anticipating charge theritual Severaltimes a fewyoungsters went them for butthey couldperformers. looking n'tfind them. one oftherite'saspectsis to comeundetected as close as possible to Indeed, theplaceofmourning andthen theopen. into charge all theyoung menandboysperforming in therite, had gonehunting Earlyin themorning, another The and one; marsupials. Theycaught (substiapparently escaped. marsupial frogs tute for which theperformers carried while pork)werewrapped up intoone ortwobundles themourning hut.The meatrepresents certain salient characterisi.e., 'attacking' running, ticsofthedeceased.He usedto hunt andeat many for marsupials, justas he was renowned his insatiable for On this the were from hair to occasion, appetite pork. performers painted heelswith redpigment, their headsdecorated with redleaves and smallredgrapes(called The initiated ones worerolledred leaves and tapilye nasal septi. tapilye). grapesin their Some also had red leaves in their a dog's tongue. mouth, resembling Theycrawledwith
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Mimica bows and arrowsthrough grass and poised behind a bush, inside the homsteadplateau. For his part,Wuiplaqwa began to frisk-dancearound the place in order to attracteveryone's attention so thatthe surpriseentry Then theychargedintothe could be maximallyeffective. homesteadclearing,running aroundthe hut,and voicing in a strong, hissy sound. Everyone got excited and startedcheering,shouting,and issuing directives.Around the hut, in and out,theyran - threeroundsin all (see plate 1). In each round,one or several of themlapsed into tranceand remainedarrestedin one spot; witheyes closed theywere shakingand rapidlyhissing. Some got entrancedin front of the corpse. They remained like thatuntil the otherscharged into the hut area again, at which One performer pointtheentranced snapped out and rejoinedthe frenzy. slipped and fell; the helter-skelter; spectators'shoutingincreasedin volume,dogs were running Hicipu, the seer, was again skippingalongside the elevation shouting'mala, mala' and 'tate,tate' at the performers (see plate 2). Yayonya, munchinga sweet potato, shouted at them to do yet anotherround. They did. Everyone was elated afterthis perfomance;an uninitiatedlad, whose face was beaming, exclaimed: This is something reallypowerful'.I couldn't agree more. while they were Angguye's arms were painted with red pigment.He met the performers on gettingready forthe action, and pronounceda spell on all of them,therebyimprinting them their assumed ritual appearance. He thoughtthat the rite wasn't very successful because most of the lads were not initiated,therefore ignorantof ritualbehaviour. If this were done by the men like himself,then I would see Tire burning!'. This meant thatthe own souls (the fundamental thatanimatesthe body) would become performers' heat-energy intensified as theyassumed theritualsemblance. Withthisperformance the deceased's umpne(soul) was completely repossessedand incorporatedby the livingmen. He could be buried.Two lads told me thatit was likelythatanother
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Deathofa Strong, Bad Man Great, roundof thesame riteswould be held again and theywill be even better thantheones hitherto I returned to my hut.In the evening,Angguyecame and told me thatthe corpse performed. had swelled up so much so that'the house wantsto burst!'This is a symptomatic momentin as I had seen it times this its and, before, everymourning many corpse,too, began stupendous with a momentoussuddenness.Angguye made an important remark:'They metamorphosis did the dead personriteand theycompletelytook his soul'. He meantthatsince it had been divestedof its soul, thecorpse began to respondto thenew condition. completely COMMENTS ON THE SOUL-INCORPORATION RITUAL
In the nightrite Firstlya few ethnographicdetails on the appearance of the performers. the but if wore not the loin clothes among Iqwaye, apparently among Iwolaqa Malyce, they and grass aprons theywould have had theirarses bared. Anus exposure is intendedto scare the deceased's soul who, apartfromthe bodily dissolution,is in the process of becoming a of thedead. spirit In the day-rite described above some of the performers, the initiated ones, had in their nasal the rolled red leaves and and in their mouths pierced septi tapilye grapes, theyheld red leaves which looked like canine tongues. Among the Iqwaye, dark pigmentstripesare also paintedall over the body,and theirarses are bared. In the women's versionof the rite the performers are painted fromhead to heels with yellow ochre and wear no otheritems from the meaningsof thesedecapart diggingsticksor theirequivalents. I will not interpret orationsand theirsemiotisation of the oral and anal aspects of Yagwoia spiritdenizens but I will briefly commenton theirsalientanal physiognomy. Althoughspiritsare generallydistinguished by theirsmell, especially the spiritsof the dead because theybecome so by rotting as corpses,thisdoes notexplain their anal determination.The wordforspirit, as a derivation fromilycemanne 'shit ilyma.ne,is folk-etymologised In thecontextof of spirits. passage' (anus) whichhas to do withthe followinganal treatment
Plate 2
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Mimica rites baretheir arsesanditis also possible that theimpersonators ofthewildspirits mortuary with heranusexposed tothespirit an older woman canjumpoverthegrave ofthedead.I saw The idea is that thisdoneamong theIqwayeat theburial of an old woman. thespirits ofthe with dead areno longer humans. one does not face them face his/her Therefore, (i.e., living a 'face'-gestalt which thereceptive ocular butwith thearse, hasno eyes, doesn't look surface) at and therefore doesn'tintroject itsobject.Unlikethemouth, theanusin theYagwoilifeis exclusively a rejecting orifice and so thearsedoes nothavethechanceto introjecworld as penisandhand.29 The human with suchocularequivalents face,being self-identify tively That'swhy does so willy-nilly. onemaybe compelled toclose,cover oravert oralandocular, a repelling Arse-face doesnotfor ithasno eyes.Theanusis hightheeyeswhen facing sight. to letgo of itself. whenin fright or shockit is morelikely Manya Yagwoia ly constrictive, when as a was run of manis remembered for and thefirst he, boy, putthrough shitting pissing In arse-anus-face human face in first initiation the the the ceremony. facing gestalt beatings turns it.Thatis whyspirits arethenegative of itinto andthus itself into mirrors receives itself as human face:they are literally thearse-hole theliving face,rejected imageof thehuman inthearse-mirror humans fashion.30 suchfrom theabodeofhuman sociality bytheliving a thesemblance of theperformers To return to thetwosoul-capturing rites, represents each of layered identities of primordial unified Overtly, imagosand their powers. complex he is wildforest is an imageofa fierce (hyaqaye ilymane). Simultaneously, spirit participant child(son) identity of theprimal cosan imageof theprimordial also echoing cosmogonie This ritual Mimica micman,theuniversal 1981, 1988, 1991). (see imago-comprocreator butin themortuary oftheinitiation to thesecret ceremonies, sphere belongs plexprimarily to be inaccessible to thosewho have is presumed thisaspectof its significance context of fierce beeninitiated.31 never Here,it is theimmediately identity warrior-spirits apparent of theimagoare conthat to be theknown is presumed fact;other aspectsand meanings as such, overt Thosewhoknowthem cealedin itsvery (initiated men)can see them display. thosewho do notknow(womenand uninitiated boys) see, yetdo notknowthemeanings rite.32 ofthe'dead person' in theappearence oftheperformers areconcealed which theobjectof in twoother rites semblance identical Men also cometo assumevirtually and and inflict sicknesses theweather who affect thewild spirits whichis to depotentiate thespirits, overmenwillengagewith ritual action human death on living Through beings. humans assumethesemHeretheliving and gaintheir comethem, powerforthemselves. humans ritual whodirect these theguidance ofcurers, blanceoftheir foesandwith attacks, of intoyielding modeof beingand beatthem thewildspirits' can approximate something with itandtransformthelike,that their is,byidentifying Onlythelikecan subdue powers. all the whatcharacterizes combatis exactly itself. This relentless ing it intoand through the wind and Whether a with sickness treatments. on par weather-controlling procedures, have them orhumans, to control or aredue to thespirits rainareacting they bythemselves, of theworld, as well as all forces Theseelemental beaten to be violently up and expelled. - generate - including ownspeciftheir thewildspirits oftheworld-body other denizens as such. can onlybe dealtwith andaccordingly ic violence, and thatamongthe Yagwoia all ritualsemblances Now it is crucialto understand and weather controlvia curing themostunassuming actions- from spell-performances, on rituals of man-making to themassive rites)- articulate, (initiation practices, lingritual of their existence. dimension a parwithsociallifeas a whole,thecosmo-ontological They oftheYagwoiatranspersonal, a single setofsystematic constitute archetyptransfigurations of a single are theproducts semblances The ritual Selfand itsenergies. al imagosof their matrix ofcultural un/conscious self-symbolisation. imaginal33 of the monadictotality of theprimordial All of themare hologramic reproductions in the articulated most archetypal self-symYagwoia World-Body-Self cogently autogenic of thelargest skeleton The internal World-Tree. as theouroboric bolisation Yagwoiaarchiinitiation at theonset ofthefirst built ritual theinek/i/ye tectural house, structure, ceremony,
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Death BadMan ofa Strong, Great, - the(archetypal) is theWorld-Tree. this To be sure, constitutive cosmo-ontological imagiin nal is theimmanent and symbolisation whichinhere fieldof energies dimension, andaspectof Yagwoiaexperience andaction. is the concrete This,I submit, every modality human cultural This is constitutive of everyintersubjective life-world. psychic objectivity theintra-cultural whymyhermeneutic Yagwoia un/consciousness trajectory glidesfrom andtheir ownself-intelligibility, tothepsychoanalytic ofthesame. amplification The wildforest aretheultimate mediators ofthelife-and-death flow. spirits controlling of a and it the innards the worldsoul into of By taking possession dying person's bytaking makehim/her die and effect theterminal transformation of body,thewild spirits finally his/her soulintoa spirit is to a largeextent with ofthedead.Thisprocess coterminous bodiwhichis theobverse In thisprocessof decomposition and of gestation. ly decomposition, the human a soul substance and its differentiated transform from liquefaction, components as thespirit to theimmortal of existence of thedead (wopa ilymortal-corporeal modality - or morepointedly, rite theliving humans thelivmane).Thisis whyin thedead person wild As I mortals take on the semblance of the above,onlythelike ing spirits. explained can subduethelike,by identifying withit and transforming it intoand through The itself. thusbecometheattractors its forthedeceased's soul, including performers specifically solarosseouscore,for thisanimated ofitsambivalence, is drisubstance, energie regardless ven to its superior wild thetrans-human animatedness of theimmortal source, primordial But are then, they? spirits. what, Wild spirits are indestructible, notsubject and death;they are themasters of to birth thatthreshold of thelife-and-death flowwherehuman lifeis converted intodeath.Their dominant moodand affective are notgreatly different from thespirits of thedead. tonality iratetheycannot be trusted; vacillate between malevoFundamentally unpredictable they lenceandbenevolence. Sexualcommerce with their them, alwaysproduced through decepis by andlargedeadlyforthehuman victims. be actually incited into Shoulda person tion, sex with a wildforest as occasionally without a shaman's intervention s/he spirit, happens, woulddie.34 makehumans sickand killthem as they someof Theyjust as often empower them(principally thecurers) to alleviate theseinescapable of existence. malignancies By thementality of thespirits, of Yagwoiaegoic selfhood, the studying beingtheprojections comesto feeltheir senseofenvyoflife, which is whythey ethnographer profound selfishly involvethemselves withthe souls of the dyinghumans.For ultimately thissubstance tothem andtothem itinevitably belongs goes. thewildspirits, can assume either and sex,anyshapeandcorporeal semblance, Hyaqaye, arecannibalistic.35 of theworld-body and do notabideby any they Theylive in theinnards and material limitations and conditionally of existence that theworld-body spatio-temporal on the human Their in mode of the of the is imposes living beings. being reality world-body total. andsky;inside, andoutside the earth, rocks, Theymoveunobstructed through through, under. Forthem theworld-body is a non-differentiated, streams; up,down, isotropie totality. mortals thecurers canbecome thesameas thewildspirits.36 Among living only as livingmortals, enter intothewild spirits' dimension of immortality of the Curers, while stillalive and there at home.All otherliving world-body theymake themselves humans do so onlywhentheydie and thusbecomethespirits of thedead. This is what makesthem an ontologically distinct of spirits, sincebefore becameso they category they weremortal human suffered from andthey sicknesses had to die,rotting in the beings, they came with into the processto thebones.Not so withthewild forest spirits. They being butthey never liveda mortal existence. world-body, Although immanently metamorphic can assume the semblance of in their do notunderthey anybeing yet substantiality they of thegenerated In thatsensetheyare theliving go theself-metamorphosis world-body. notsubject to theincessant transformative oflife-and-death. The ontological powers process distinctiveness of theimmortality of thewildforest derives from thisimmunity to spirits andreproduction. The curers arenotimmune anddeath, butby to sickness death, sickness, 276
Mimica their from thewildspirits, do cometo partake ofthis ultimate receiving powers they energie oftheYagwoialifeworld. As a modeofimmortality thewildspirits generative substantiality are theembodiments of theprimordial, Treepre-and un-metabolised sap of theouroboric and that that immanent net of branches roots contains theceaselesscircuity of-Life, phallic and generates its ceaselesslifethrough of self-becoming of theworld-body, thelife-and- ad infinitum death ofitsowndenizens 1981,1988,1991,inpreparation (see Mimica, b). indicates thattheyare an imaginal aboutthewild spirits of a Everything presencing itsunharnessed anidimension ofhuman non-somatized being, specifically primary psychic envious. matedness: volatile, ambivalent, Hyaqaye ilyimpulsive, omnipotent, incessantly narcissistic oftheunpunctured manearethepersonifications libido, i.e.,theprimordial psyintolifeanddeath Thisis the anddifferentiation chicenergy tobifurcation streamings. prior and matrix of the somatic intentionaliwhich feeds the dynamic sphere precedes psychoid37 drives.These, then, are energised by thenon-differentiated by instinctual tyarticulated This is are interfused. theprimal libidoin whichlifeand destruction energy, autopoietic As thesemblance destructive-creative arewhimsically thehyaqaye (power-bestowing). why theinnermost narcisto themselves humans enactandpresent theliving of thewildspirits, cannibalistic. ouroboric Self:indestructable, sistic coreoftheir ambisexual,38 metamorphic, It oftheouroboric ireful moodis a manifestation Theirambivalent affect, self-envy. primal to come to be born, of having is theenvyof lifeitself, having bythenecessity engendered in theplenitude ofdifferentiated to becomeoneself andthus outof itself, outof thewomb, the ouroboric Self narcissistic of is theprimordial Birth existence. and individuated injury tocreate incurred on itself to) itself. (givebirth byitsownnecessity andincarnation of sideof thegeneration remain on thehither Thisis whythehyaqaye life-forms of numerous thattheycan assumethesemblance To theextent life-and-death. human to destroy thoseliving mostlikely manifestations theseare solelydeceptive beings it into to transform is primarily theliving towards Theirorientation to them. whosuccumb alonetransofall human morticians aregreedy Thisis whythey itsownkind. souls,as they andbones(which flesh mortal ofdegenerative, human heat(animatedness) thisliving form of the immortal into innermost of their becomedivested spirits generativity) spermatic - thestuff andnonofunabating andunborn, one facestheundead dead.In thewildspirits itsown self-differoutand consummates that bothchurns metabolised energie generativity flow. life-and-death theluno-solar into entiation THE 'HYDRAULICS' OF EMBODIED LIFE-AND-DEATHFLOW see its theburialthatI could properly butit was during The corpsewas bloated, 29/1/96 a sweetness the of reminiscent by largepile of produced sickly Heavystench, magnitude. A few immediate outside its hut and the of interior the fruits saturated perimeters. rotting Subduedweeping arrivals. and a fewrecent his sisters' mourners inside, daughters mostly did notgetorganized was held.The performers rite No soul-capture andflat singing. dirge stench. the off were and,apparently, put by they of Amilyce's the that corpsewas due to his gluttobulging spectacular explained Angguye All the excess 'water'(aalye.e., was alive. he when of numerous nousconsumption pigs of unrestrained a lifetime in his bodyduring porkeating, fluids)whichhe accumulated thiscorpse'hydraulics' of death, In theYagwoiaintersubjecitvity itself. beganto manifest andvitalcharacterisintimate to themost bearswitness which observed is a closely process its sexual-appetitive tics of a deceasedperson'slivingembodiment, praxis.In thiscase, kindof see what can and is on unadulterated, clearly everybody display gluttony Amilyce's manhe was. shehadnumerous can see that thesamecondition Whena female everyone corpsedisplays menhave ofliquids.It is notthat a surplus sheaccumulated which sexualrelations through
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Death ofa Strong, BadMan Great, in this 'hydraulics' are less sex and womenhave no insatiable desireforpork.Rather, in felbasichomoeomorphic between thesexes.Man's body(except amplified asymmetries drained and alimentary filled;woman'sbodyis filledin both latio) is primarily sexually within a single Each mode is a transposition and transformation modalities. of theother in the global, whichsimultaneously of self-generation intra-bodily system participates socialflowoflife-and-death. But thisincorporative/excorporative of the is an aspectof theenergetics 'hydraulics' in as In the mortucosmic closed itself, and, such, autopoietic. Yagwoia bodily totality, upon is also all procedures theimmanent which articulate of thebody, arycontext, disintegration and differential intothecosmicand thesocial body(see its simultaneous reincorporation Mimica1981,1991). All Yagwoiasinging their The main is a movement through territory. of is that as the which move the entire meaning mortuary Yagwoia dirges they, songs through and absorption articulate thistotalizing and meticulously territory, graduated in-corporation and texthave specific territorial of thedeceased'sbodyintotheworld-body. Bothmelody latice references as such, anditssocialframework, co-refer to human which, bodily identity descent ka:ce and aapiye) apiye) (patrilineal groups). Dirges(aa'ma curing songs(napalye oftheir havethesamemelodic andtextual structure. Their difference lies with thecondition humanbodilydynamics. In dirges, thisis in theprocessof irreversible subjectmatter, andincorporation itsmacrocosmic thebodyoftheuniverse. into container, decomposition the mourners articulate this of dissolution of thedeceasedin Through singing, process in it, all of whichare dead or death reference to theterritory and numerous life-forms etc.In dirges birdeggs,a broken birdwing, broken and felled trees, inflicting, eg.,broken thisdecomposing is articulated in spatialterms, as a meticuof human modality identity and from the overall movement to signifilouslygraduated particularizing locality locality, cance beingthede-totalisation of an individual, and its re-totalisation particular identity, andde-individuation, intotheall-incorporating bybeingabsorbed, qua theterritory, totality ofthecosmos.In curing is reversed. Their reinvigorasongstheprocess objectis a maximal tionand self-consolidation all life-forms of thesickbody.Accordingly, invoked are alive, bird intact The task of is maximize theconto (treesstanding etc.). upright, eggs, singing centration of the macrocosmic intothe microcosmic embodiment (anabolic) life-flow affected In thissense,thesickperson's in itsindividual by a sickness. bodyis heightened totalized on theprimal ofthecosmicbody, theabsolute container. yet particularity grounds Sicknessand deatharticulate in movements the ceaseless (katabolic-anabolic) specific dialectics ofthemacrocosmic-microcosmic oftheflowoflife-and-death. self-circuity INTERMENT The deceased, had a majorsurprise in store forhis livingconsociates. however, Theydiscoveredthathis latice 's (patrilineal descent group)powerobjects(himace),used forthe control of garden weremissing. All his noy e (sisters' declared that their children) fertility, MB hadn't entrusted them with thecareofhishimace. The deceased'sclosestagnate, Amahe didn'tknowwhere were.The conclusion was that lyce,also claimedthat they Amilyce musthave buried them before he fellsickand died so that no one else could somewhere, use them. Thiswas a matter forserious concern. madea pronouncement that Omilyce grave will follow from this the entire will turn intobush consequences Iwolaqa-Malycaane (i.e.,becomewild).39 A hot-stone oven was uncovered and food distributed beforethe burialtookplace. A cheerful mood the whole Inside thehut, heightened enveloped place. Tilyqalye, Kacipu,and severalother female thefliesoffby shaking leaves overthe noyewerekeeping cordyline outfortheburial, some 10 metres his hut, from corpse.At about2.00 PM it was brought The mainundertakers in particular were,again,thesisters' children, justbelowa footpath. 278
Mimica was also at hand.Whilebeing thefirst-born ZS, Tamce.One of thedeceased'sZHusbands in thecourseofinsertion handled intothepit,which hadtobe expanded andadjusted many thecorpse becameuncovered. It was massively anddisfigured; bloated thevolume of times, hisarms All hisclothes andthecoverwereimpregnated hadalmost doubled. with hiscopitoldhis sister, ous fluids(ingaalye).Tayaquye just as she was aboutto place a new but backat himthat soakedbark-cape intothepit,to save itbecauseitwas new.She rattled the usablebecausea dog wouldsurely chewitdue totheingaalye stain. But cape was no longer - after ithas beenwashedthecape willbe as good as new.She gave in insisted Tayaquye theeldestZS, supported and threw it on theside. The chiefundertaker, by thedeceased's with all theother newcapes and on them to putthecape intothepittogether ZH, prevailed It shouldbe made as good as possibleforthe clothesused forthedeceased's bedding. hadn'twanted thatrelatives to makehima comfortable deceased's spirit mayget angry All the threw the into other bed. clothes, rags, cape pit. mostly enough Talycipu promptly were theburial ofspectators wereburied in an adjacent shallow placegroups pit.All around countless instructhosecloserto thepit,wereissuing of whom, especially standing, many were some of which heeded. andtechnical tions opinions, a Both pits were sealed. Since theywere dug within interred. The corpse was finally a possibleexhumathecorpsefrom whichsecured thiswas filledwithearth depression, was no intention that there tionby pigsor dogs. But thisalso indicated by thedeceased's in whichcase the his further to monitor widows and sisters'children decomposition, Severalbambootubes coveredwithearth. receptacle pitwouldnothavebeencompletely lines were as well as a circleof cordy nativebegoniaand some other withwater, plants, and but in the bamboos don't If the the around dryquickly keepfresh, plants pit. planted disis well the deceased of will that the indicate then this if thecordylines spirit grow, and will not inflict holds no grudges, his sisters'children, any sickness posed towards uponthem. andhersisters to theburial andadjacent Below thefootpath swiftly planted spot, Tilyqalye This to thedeceasedas his mothers. related thetaroshootsbrought by variousmourners sisters' the deceased's who those and eaten harvested tarowillbe eventually it, planted by A sumptuously bloated ad infinitum. flowis self-regenerative The life-and-death children. its fertilizes which embodiment in its own was liquefying away rotting body just planted, the itself thesoil of thecosmicbodywhich elemental source, through generates primordial thecorpsewill be eatenand further As taro, and multiplicity. of itsown diversity totality seizures the relations, charged byhisbeingthrough already by living incorporated recycled, be free to be seen whether And it remains of his stench. inhalation and prolonged they'll and no less thanin sickness in health modeof existence, But in every his afflictions. from of union ouroboric in a dead and the theliving participate singleself-embracing suffering, which the embodiment: cosmic andtheir themselves totality autopietic living all-containing, itself. itself through procreates incessantly Sexas follows: andmacro-cosmos themicroboth Thisouroboric encompasses circuity Cosmic-Bodi==> => => => => (ie., World-Body procreation planting eating living dying modeof thephallic-copulative indicates Sex-procreation ly-Self-generation-ad-infinitum). conand Eatingexpress whichtheindigenous within thisself-circuity Planting metaphors in action as human as well activities cretebodilypraxis:sexual-alimentary (from general of a single and Eatingare modalities and destroying). to manufacturing Planting gardening theorigwhich also articulates (ouroboric) intentionality copulative-ingestive-incorporative thecircuity and Eatingarticulate intotheworld. self-investiment Planting (cathexis) inary andEating is patrifiliation of kinship. thesphere flowwithin of thelife-and-death Planting doublet use the to erroneous It would be Mimica matrifiliation beingAbecoming 1991). (see Occidental of thefamiliar theflowin terms a wayof indexing evenas merely ontological 279
Death of a Strong,Great,Bad Man
intoa view of intertwined The Yagwoiamatrix of existence is notassimilable categories. is a wholly Parmenidian andHeraclitean The Yagwoiamatrix self-progenergie, positions. within as such itproducesand contains enitive cosmicbodiliness; qua self-annihilating itself itsownnihilating moment of self-transformation intoitsownhole-ness (nothingness) itself forth as itsowninfinite ofincessant anew, self-generation. onlytobring plenitude theontological core Thisprimordial, constitutes ouroboric of libidoand mortido unity in the Thisgeneric a critical difference ofmany New Guinealifeworlds. structure indicates which constitutes them.40 One of themostsignificant implications mythopoeic imagination is an absenceof soteriological The cultures dominated historically bya salvationstrivings. tendto interal orientation towards of theJudeo-Christian existence, genealogy, especially becausesuchexclusion thisouroboric dimension of being, or,better, nallyexclude, repress is thecritical condition fortheformation of theegoic selfconstituted by thenew modeof internal its intentionality, thesoteriological itself. At workhereare mostdiverse project modifications relative to theproblematization of thecore-narcissistic dimension of theself, the It is thesedynamics selfwhichanimate of theexperience of existence. of thehuman as constitution cultures as particular ofhuman modesofbeing-in-thei.e., world, ontological projects. DEATH-PAYMENTS (AA'MEKNE) Late in theafternoon came thecrucialsocial moment, thedeathpayments (aa'mekne). whoaccepted Therewerewellovertwenty them the mothers recipients, among disgruntled their smallamounts, werealso from 2.00K to 20.00K. Advancedeathpayments ranging weremerely a preliminary mothers ofthetwoold widows. Thesepayments givento several occasioned husband. Moresubstantial to a greater oftheir prestation bythedeath payments number ofrecipients willfollow when die. they actually Thiswas a very taciturn One recipient aa'mekne. overhisorheramount. Nobody protested confided thathe could have been given10K moresincehe received whenAminothing sister died.But even so he was content. I talked withAngguye aboutthe lyce'sfirst-born of in the the when mothers would burn down severity mortuary prestations past enraged deceased'shouse,destroy fencesand gardens, and stealpigs,if an adequatepayment was refused them. I witnessed with abusebut During myresearch fiery protests copiousverbal which never intoa serious at thevery a brawl, a fewbromost, developed physical dispute; kenfences and/or a felledsugarcane postor bananatree, which lastsfor and a resentment lifeandcontinues after a person's In themid-sixties death. there was in Iwolaqa-Malycaane a succession offour in which eachtime a housewas burned foldown, mortuary prestations lowedby a fight. OvertheyearstheYagwoiahave becomemorerestrained becausesuch excessesinevitably are takento court, finesand compensations have to be paid, and the worst deterrent all thestate thewrongdoers can be imprisoned.41 sanctions, among imposed AFTERMATH 30/1/96 thedeceased'sZD, Tilqalye hadone ofherpigskilledandpurchased Today, byher e She did this because this a was reared MB her deceased and his widows. (ZCh). noy pig by He had instructed herthat as soonas he diedthispig should be killedso that shewouldnot think thathe ate it. Givenhis reputation, thiswas a real possibility. husband Tilyqalye's handled thetransaction whileshewas sitting next to himobserving it.The principal buyers, invited forthisoccasion,wereherFFFBDS (=ZS) and FZS (=ZS). The latter specifically wailedat themourning seanceandgave herandhersiblings ardently (hismothers) packets ofbiscuits. The former, thepork, cuta sizableportion which he then distribhaving paidfor utedamong all ofhismothers, thesource ofhisflesh.
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Mimica andherbrother havebeensickseveral 5/2/96 Tamcaqulyi days.Bothhavefever Tilyqalye a yakale(spell)treatment on herthe sheurinated blood.Angguye worked while, yesterday, A curer, that an ilymane ofwhich is to stopbleeding. justreported Yayonya, (spirit) purpose is liver). Herbrother, herqalye(theinternal vitalorgans one ofwhich also a curer, lacerated whichhinders She also has a soreinsideherthroat This has sewnit thismorning. eating. she had a recurrent dreamin thelast few affliction comes by itself. However, particular indicated thecauseofhersickness. dayswhich quiteclearly with I recorded anddiscussed herdream her. shesaw with 6/2/96 Briefly, Together Angguye on the where her deceased's MB's homestead is in thedream slope many peoplegathered in a at were food stonethe she was actually located(where time). They cooking sleeping - sick. andherbodywas feeling different oven.She wokeup anxious, very hungry, feeling thehut, a pieceofbark-cape andputitoutside tokeepilymane to light She toldherhusband There to herownhomestead. off. She didn'tsleepanymoreand at dawnshe went (spirits) in a of peoplecooking she fellasleepand,again,shehad thesamedream- a hugecrowd thesameas those twosoul-capturing There werealso performed stone-oven. rites, performed andthestone-oven therites them In thedream, she watched a fewdaysbefore. performing even distressed She more a woke which without continued and,nowfully up stop. cooking a was due to that her condition this oneiric awarethrough bigsickness. bodily experience intotheir and acuteinsight motifs of dream cultural whohas a great knowledge Angguye, The stone-oven a accurate in dreams, cooking interpretation. very gave expression specific thusthat thesickness'heathad seized of herovenhot,feverish is a picture showing body, havelosther shemust this meansthat inherdream, rites As for thesoul-capturing herbody. wereactually whenthoserites at thetime ownsoul (component) fully Tilyqalye performed. It was whopossessesfivesoul-familiars. is a curer She herself with hisclarification. agreed This wouldbe symptothestone-oven. in thedreamshe ate no foodfrom that significant hesitate didn't BothsheandAngguye ofthesickness. matic of a moresevere incorporation their is that of affliction brother's and her her for thatthe spirit to affirm responsible him in thedreamindentify locationand activities deceasedMB. The verydream-scene mistake. without of Yagwoia of theverydynamics is butan expression of affliction thispattern However, envyand greed,especiallyin the dependences, socialityat whose core are symbiotic virof course, as a matter one anticipates, But in general, nexusofrelatedness. matrifilial mourntoldtheprincipal This is whyAngguye deceasedrelatives. from ulentafflictions ' - this ersnotto keepthedeceasedfortoo long. "Thiswill makeyou sick - his germ42 them this sick". I told will make you two (Tilyqalye and her brother) exactlylike a that two I saw into sickness. a will two dream-seer: (i.e., foresaw "Later, you get big you me". didn't believe Butyoudidn'theedmytalk(warning), to them). thiswillhappen you to the deceased: theirattachment Now sicknessholds them'.He acutelysummarized forhim(their livingmotherMB). She (Tilyqalye)doesn'thave another They are sorry man the was He than rather breast(i.e., true amongmanywomen only classificatory). shall we be lookingat whom is he "Later So buried), (after (i.e., sisters).43 theyworry: like that,they She thought (i.e., whose face), my namnoqwa(my-mother-breast-he)". heldhim(in prolonged too muchand so they worried (But) I said (to them): mourning).44 him himback (i.e., his body),it's notpossibleto bring "He died. You two cannotbring back. not able to are and die it is the With alive. same; you bring they you (back) youtoo, You mustand decompose As forhim(thedeceased),he can die (i.e., stink completely).45 them-two, too muchabouthimso you twomustn't n't worry keep him".I advisedthem, likethat'. ofhiscuring thepower extolled recovered. has reportedly 10/2/96 spells Angguye Tilyqalye a indicates which ate She blood. her his in view,stopped urinating reportedly pork, which, 281
Death ofa Strong, BadMan Great, newphasein theprocess ofrecovery. someofherlifefluids porkshereplenished By eating and restored herbody.And thus, in thiscosmic,devouring-planting ouroboric symbiosis between theliving andthedead,thefluids oflife-and-death keepon flowing. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS An earlier was presentversion ofthis in a much work, incorporated longer paper, originally ed at a conference I am grateful on theAnganpeoples, heldSeptember, 1996in Marseilles. to theparticipants and of thisuniquegathering, thefellow Anganethnographers especially SandraBamford, Pascale Bonnemere, MauriceGodelier, Gilbert Pierre Herdt, linguists: and Richard moresimilar to theone published Lemonnier, version, Joyce Lloyd.Another was presented in a seminar I am on ritual heldat theHebrew ofJerusalem. here, University Don Hanto theparticipants fortheir to Ithamar Gruenwald, comments, grateful especially I am especiallygrateful BruceKapferer, and David Shulman. to Eric Hirschof dleman, Brunei final on whatwas to be thealmost (London),whoreadand commented University I am also thankful version. to BorutTelbanof Ljubljana, Sloveniaand mywifeUte EickI am grateful For editorial workand suggestions to Neil Macleanand theOceania elkamp. staff at Sydney.I also gratefully of the Australian acknowledgethe financialsupport Research Council(ARC) which in Papua New Guineafor enabledme to carry outresearch I am especially several theTheAnnand Erlo VanWaveren Foundation (New years. grateful allowedme to continue field research after on York)whosegrant my Yagwoiashamanism ended.Finally, I am grateful to theYagwoiapeople,especially myARC grant Iqwayeand which as they forletting me explore their is to say,themselves life-world, Iwolaqa-Malyce, areinsideandoutside thecircuity oftheir macrocosmic Self(Imacoqwa).Among them, my heart-felt andQwace u/ngwatanye. gratitude goestoHiwoye, Wopaye, NOTES
1. This is a convenient morespecifically is suggested. informative Another common vernacular label; nothing a great doesn'tsuggest deal sincewhatwouldhaveto be elucidated is glossis lakice(penis)which, byitself thevery ofthisorgan in theYagwoiagestalt ofthebodyimage(see Mimica1991;in preparation a). facticity The Yagwoiabelongto a congeries of Anganspeaking in anthropological are literature someof them tribes; known theworks ofFischer (1968), Godelier (1981, 1987),Bonnemere (1986), Herdt (1996), Bamthrough ford 1990. (1997),Lemmonier, in workers Australian, American, Chinese,Philippino European(mostly Englishand German), (mostly SriLankan, andoflatea fewhundred MiddleEastern mines), Indian, refugees. This notion of theimaginary is notto be confused with use of 'imaginary' thepopular that gainedcurrency thediffusion ofLacanin 'post-modernist' academic In Castoriadis' discourses. the (1987:3)formulation, through 'is notan imageof.It is theunceasing andessentially andpsychical) undetermined imaginary (socio-historical creation offigures/forms/images, on thebasisofwhich alonethere caneverbe a question of"something". What we call "reality" and"rationality" areitsworks'. initscore, thehuman andpsyche haveto Correlatively, subject be recognised 'as radical as indeterminable andperpetual self-alteration which cannot be mastered' imagination, viewofLacanian reformulations ofosvchoanalvsis. see his(1984:46-115). (1984:59).ForCastoriadis' This is why, choicein thespatio-temporal fieldof Western thefact self-totalisation, just to makea random thatan eventwhichtookplace in North Gaius Caesar crosseda Italyin 49BC, whena mancalled Julius minor rivercalled Rubicon,is entirely forPNG becoming a semblance of thedemocratic consequential nation state a colonialcloneof theWestern universal in thelastquarter of 'thelong' 20thcentu(itself state) thefactthatcountless Melanesians have been crossing hand,on thisside of Pacific, ryAD. On theother countless local rivers, farbigger andmoreperilious than theRubicon, forthelast,say5,000years(and they stillaredoingitin exactly thesameway),hadabsolutely no consequence for theemergence andformation in PNG of a comparatively cultural-societal form as state. known I am saying thisin order to underequivalent scoretheradicaldifferences in theontological-imaginary matrices of thetwo vortexes, and,of course,to underscore theradical anddensity ofthehistoricity ofhuman andactions reality imagination, egoicpassions, which andrealiseall cultural forms of sociality, lifeandcivilizational here create, worlds, fields, perpetuate, thefocalreference beinetotheWestern universal state anditsolanetarv self-renroduction. I utilize theJungian distinction between theego andtheself(1967, 1968). As a first theego approximation, can be thought ofas thefocalfigure anddelimited in thecourse ofsocialization within thecontext developed ofthetotal The self, ofthis psychic beingas theground. beingtheindividuating-structuring dynamis totality, toco-articulate with theego from itsinception inthepre-oedipal mother-child matrix. begins
2. 3.
4.
5.
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6. A beautiful can be seen in Ian Dundocumentation of thisritual cinematographic cosmogonie performance Towards someethnographic information on (1986) provides BaruyaManhood.Godelier lop's monumental theBaruya several derive from theYagwoia'house' (territory) as do initiations. Historically, Baruya lineages oftheYagwoiaritual house-tree edifice and theSambiastudied (1981, 1987).Foran interpretation byHerdt relations see Mimica(1981). thetransformational totheBaruya, thecosmosis theselfbecauseof itsouroboric determination, self-totalising Precisely (primary-narcissistic) all otherness is generated Selfandnotan Other orotherness. Rather, same,holotrophic, infinitely autopoietic all differentia. In theYagwoialife-world Likewisewith within thisautopoietic cosmictotality. by and from which wouldbe radically external to andindependently of itself is no difference/differentiae there autogenic All differentiae are generated from within and by theselfin relation cosmicSelf,theworld-body. to their andfeedsinto theinside theKleinian theoutside from sameness ofthecosmicSelf.As with bottle, proceeds a break. without as itis articulated in embodiment has beenon theYagwoiasenseoftheir Overtheyears procreative myfocus anddelirious). Forin wakeful to dreaming and visionary from thetotality of their (hallucinating experience, without thewilful interference ofthewakeful articulates itself thisdimension theegoic self'snoetic activity to me (as they are that werereported To theextent and critical self-conscious Yagwoiadreams self-regard. internal of their objects. egos and their sleeping theystillweretheproducts post-facto, amongthemselves) becausetherelation I putit so precisely / delineate as their un/conscious. arethework of what As suchthey in different lifeworlds. articulations to diverse is subject andtheun/conscious between consciousness Expein dimensional to a universal does notconform mutual articulation their principally topography, rientially In terms oftheYagwoialife-world-specific andexteriority. between terms ofa distinction interiority psychic thebasic dimensionality of their and existence of their 'I-ness',such experiences ontological underpinnings the field. no less than inner/outer is a radically different andall itsderivatives, as interiority/exteriority Spirits either autonomous butentities soul are notfortheYagwoia 'internal (eg., entirely objects'or 'projections' with the relation to a givenT (ego) or in a semi-detachable andexternal incorporative/excorporative spirits) instance one's dream-soul explications Accordingly, mypsychoanalytic component. bodyand 'I-ness',as for forwitha world.Theirpsychic in theYagwoia lifeare phenomenologically beingis accounted grounded suchas un/conscious, worldconstitution. to itslifemaximal So, although egoic myuse of notions fidelity andJungian ofpsychoanalytic theframework andinternal meta-psy(objectrelations) self, objectsis within the and amplifies which bothmaintains exercise thisis doneas an interpretive conceptualisation, chological world. andlifeoftheYagwoiaselfhood andexistential ontological originality integrity in 1983 and 1984folfield-work of Yagwoiaembodiment I becameawareoftheluno-solar during qualities and were a great deal of anxiety of two solareclipses.These cosmicevents provoked lowinga succession the whichis thesame as thesunand moon,on a par with to bodilysubstance in reference also thematised in preparation luminaries ofthetwocelestial (a)). that all Yagwoiaarethechildren notion (Mimica, are theself.The related meansthatwhichconstitutes MedievalScholastic concepts This beautiful concept andhaecceity. quiddity is dui a ot Yagwoiaoodiiyanimatedness abouttheluno-solar This entire quiddity complexof thenotions and all life humans that of a singlemythopoeic and doxicdifferentiation namely refraction self-projection, in Thisis detailed affections luminous irradiative of sunandmoonandtheir aretheprogeny thermo-liqueous a relatedversionof thismicroperspective, Mimica,in preparation (a). Fromthe regional-comparative both is created that belief is theBaruya through macro-cosmic embryo every procreation dynamis generative thewoman'swomb. thelatter andthesun'sfertilization, theman'ssemenal byhis raypenetrating occurring andtoes(see Godelier 1986:51). theembryo's creates The sunspecifically fingers, eyes,nose,mouth, thetwoeyesof thecosmic thesunand moon, becausein theYagwoiamind I say simplex beingirreducibly auto-ocular ofitsindissoluble dynamics. generative unity Self,aretwomodalities areregarded ofpotencies soulmayacquirea number a person's one's life-time (powers)all ofwhich During in the The Yagwoiaalwaysspeakof them as components. to them souls.I refer and individual as separate can also lose suchindividuated A person is understood. their that on thepresupposition multiplicity singular The fundamental detachable ordeath. in sickness result does notnecessarily however, (souls) which, powers fallsasleep.But thesoul in itsbasal whentheperson is theone whichgoes offwandering soul-component a sudden Forinstance, itcan becomedetached. in anycontext so that anddispersive is volatile determination will pauseto allow the and theperson, willcause thesoul's disembodiment giventhecircumstances, fright called anda curer as sickness suchsoul-loss thebody. backinto soulto settle Otherwise, maybe experienced has lostthe that s/he butitdoes notfollow in thismodefor it.A person on to retrieve years maybe soul-less to in relation as projective of whatcan be characterised It is thisdynamics animation. volatility basal bodily of the determination forthesimultaneous thataccounts of thesoul-heat thepermanent bodilygenerativity oftheYagwoiasoul in twoseparate thephenomenology I deal with andmultiplex. Yagwoiasoul as simplex andshamanism. oftheYagwoiacosmology studies to hisElementa 'In theprolegomena oftheseventeenth in themiddle a labelwhich Itself century: originated is about God calls itself which "Sincethescience, remarks: siveOntosophiae (1647), J.Clauberg philosphiae does notdeal sciencewhich that or Ontology to call Ontosophy itwouldseemfitting or Theology, Theosophy butwith theothers from as distinct beingin thisandthat with owingto itsspecialnameorproperties, being, it had not that buthe will regret forsuchan undertaking, (...) Leibnizwill laterpraiseClauberg general". of Leiboccursat leastonce in an undated word"ontology" one. The very fragment beena moresuccessful it finally to meetit laterin various places,butit is notuntil1729 that niz,and one can expectaccidentally Wolff' ofChristian theOntologia itsownwith comesinto (Gilson,1952:112-113).
7.
8.
9.
10. 11.
12. 13.
14.
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Death of a Strong,Great,Bad Man + aane; thelastwordmeans'house' which 15. Iwolaqa-Malyce in this theentire ofthe usagedesignates territory human In thisinstance there. thecollectivity or 'tribe')inhabiting sucha (territorial collectivity living group 'house' is theIwolaqa-Malyce. 16. All namesareabbreviations and syllabic concoctions basedon actualnamesso that theidentities ofthepersonsareprotected. The number next inthediagram. to thenameidentifies theperson 17. Typologically, theYagwoiakin-classification is of theOmaha type.The term forMB is na:mne(mother.Thetwoforms aregivenin theIS pronomM, MZ, MBS, MBD, MBSS/D areall one's na, 'mother' breast); inal inflection. The 3S form is kayemu and ka-ne-yi. of to a view thatall members ManyYagwoiaadhere one's ownmaternal themother's and downward are all 'mothers' vis-alatice,from generation indefinitely, vis one who is their child.This also appliesto all individuals whomthese'mothers' as sib(sister's) regard of theclassificatory whichcutsacrossthelaticeboundmatrilateral lings.Due to theoperation siblingship of mothers is large.Butone's 'base' or 'true'(qaule; nua) malemother is theMB of the aries,thenumber samebirth-order as one's mother. Thereare Yagwoiawhoare adamant that don'tgo pastthe one's mothers MBSCh or atthevery most mothers cannot orclaima largemortuMBSSCh; thisis whysuchdistant expect unlessthey werelooking after theperson with foodand clothes whenalive,thereby arypayment exercising andsubstantiating their maternal tohim/her orientation (see Mimica1991). 18. In bothvernacular andtheTok Pisinusage,'kill' (pakl-)does notpresuppose its as effect death, just severe andimmobility. a person bodily incapacity Havingbeenkilled(napaqlatanye) maydie or is as good as dead ipiye) 19. Sucha multiplicity ofafflicting occurswhenthey ofthedead directly spirits join one ortwospirits responsible for thecondition ofthediseasedperson. all sicknesses 20. Virtually arecausedby various of a deceasedrelative, objectslodgedintothebodyby a spirit wildspirit, a curer's soul-familiar. in general. Napalyeis anysuchsickness objectanditalso meanssickness Itsactivity is katabolic, itis a negative modeofdigestion andgestation. specifically 21. Forthis ofthedynamics ofdying theYagwoia,see Mimica(1996). aspect among 22. This term is used by thosewho insist that one's mothers; thosewho MBSCh and MBSSCh are no longer insist that arewilluse theterm na,mother. they 23. Among theYagwoia,cowrieshells(ungye) went outofcirculation in 1983-1984three after effectively years an all weather vehicular witha network road permanently connected of external roadsin the Menyamya province. 24. Thisbeautiful deathas theradicalrapture of thebody, thematernal imagecogently expresses envelopment, andthedisincarnation ofthesoul-energy in it.Thereafter contained thebodybegins tode-integrate. 25. The last completedcycle of initiations in the Yagwoia (includingIwolaqa-Malycaane) area was in 1983-1984.Afterwards there wereendlesstalksof having another in late2002, theUngcycleand finally, Waceterritorial itwith thefirst butno other folgroup inaugurated (nose-piercing) ceremony Yagwoiagroup lowedsuit.Onlyone Iwolaqa-Malyce a Chimbari-speaking with vilvillagetookitup together neighbouring 2003 they also jointly a very truncated secondgradeinitiation whose lage. In January performed ceremony in thearea a day after it had commenced. For an closingsequenceI managedto observehavingarrived oftheYagwoiainitiations account andtheir historical vicissitudes ofinseminatory (theabandonment practice andthecontinuation oftheritual ofmenmaking), see Mimica(1981, 1991especially:Pt.2:95-110). system 26. Noy e is anyperson, maleorfemale, related to an ego as hisorhertrue orclassificatory ZCh. 27. All gifts aresubstitutes for thegiver's his/her flesh.. body, specifically 28. This meant that he was related to thedeceasedas a mother, that he was from theHilycepatrilineal descent which aloneownsthelife-and-death control overthiscultivar, and that he wouldhaveuprooted them group from his garden as a destructive act of raging e (ZCh). sorrow, provoked by thedeathof an important noy This malignant act has a universal effect becomeendanbecause,by doingit,all tarogardens invariably themanwhodoes it,uses a preventive whenhe plants thenewtaro gered. Accordingly, spell,and,likewise, in his garden. thedestruction ofhis andother The acthinges Onlyin thiswaywillhe prevent people'staro. on a precarious tension andcontrol oftheself'spoweroverlifeanddeath, In myloss of libidoandmortido. childI rageovertheloss of,a leakagein myownself.Therefore, I desire loss for else mysister's everybody (see Mimica1991,1996). 29. The use ofhandfortoilet is notexclusive. Sometimes rubtheir anuseson kids,moreso than adults, purpose latrine wallsandcorners. 30. Regarding thevaluation of theanus,Yagwoia are in sharpcontrast withsuchphallo-anal cultures as the Marind-Anim (van Baal 1966), Asmat(Eyde 1967; Schneebaum1988), Mimikans(Pouwer 1966), the Kimams(Serpenti southwestern lowlands of IrianJaya,( or theKaluli of theGreatPapuan 1977),all from where menpractised anal intercourse. theselfworldis overwhelmingly deterPlateau), There, traditionally minedthrough a totalising anal self-projection and identification. An excellent exampleof thisdasein is a Asmat Woman Drabbe(1959:154-56)there is a magnificent poem,The Red-Parrot (Voerhoove, 1977:31).In more version ofthissong(26 verses) with a listofinterchangable words for celestial complete rivers, objects, theparrot-woman, herfaeces, anddress. An entire faecal-anal is articulated in these urine, verses, cosmology thesky-earth and thebodysexualconjunction, and birth. In theYagwoialifeworld including impregnation thisself-world totalisation is through thephallic-oral It is also informative to mention in that incorporation. Kaluliseancesa spirit themedium himthrough theanus(Schieffelin. possesses byentering 1976). 31. In thecontext oftheinitiations, thenose-piercing, thepiercer thesemblance assumes ofthecrespecifically atoras a doublemalephallicdetermination ofthemarsupial hunter: he is theharpy-eagle, thecelestial phallic solar-marsupial hunter whoseclaws andbeakarehis phallic-bone which thenovices'nasal septi; pierces
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he is theterrestrial themarsupial shotby thehunter with an simultaneously dog whochasesand dispatches arrow. is thehuman neonate areidentical with theeagle's claws, (Mimica1991).The dog's fangs Marsupial and together are identical arrow with thenose-piercing bone.Butthehunter andthe beak,thehunter's they hunted their a singleauto-generative thecreator who is at are,through unit, lethal-devouring conjunction, once his own son,father and mother. The novices' nasal septihave thedetermination of theoral phalloumbilical which bindsthem to thematernal self-closure womb.Thisprimal, bodily ontogenetic self-conjunctionsustains thesoul's intra-bodily in gestation whenthefoetus established was formed, andcongeneration When tinued this of the which bears post-partum breast-feeding. nose-pierced, primal through envelope body, is broken theimprint of theuterine intoand thepure-masculine solarspermal of amniotic-sac, heat-energy theboneis injected, thepractice ofinsemination, theequally followed semen ofthe by,through pureall-male unmarried menofthesenior initiation (see Mimica1991). young grades and ignorance, This dialectics Since thewildforest of non-recognition showing, goes muchdeeper. despite anddream choosebothmenandwomen, usuvisionary they spirits givecuring powers through experiences In thisprocessthechosenperson, male or female, will readily see semally whentheyare stillchildren. in thesecret maleinitiation rites. commented that blanceswhich areactually enacted My informant although will see their and willbecomeempowered a woman manifest semblances of suchpowers bythem, recipient never as a man true because she would be initiated she'll stillremain of their meanings precisely ignorant willremain inpreparation outside hergrasp their 'base' (truth) and,therefore, (Mimica, b). thelife-worldly oftheYagI use this to index after 1972(also 1969)in order Corbin, objective reality concept in their ritual whichis notjust actualised and cosmo-mythopoeic woia transpersonal imagination archetypal of subjective of individual butin thedepths modesof objectifications dreams, Yagwoia,their experiences to an unqualified of self-world visions, i.e.,theentire 'imaginary') experience. (bycontrast Imaginal spectrum 'ficas meaning and imaginary attitude towards theprejudicial is intended to prevent 'non-real', imagination inthetradiofarchetypal theoretical formulation Fora major andinthat sense'non-being'. tional', imagination translated andalso 1971. work andBachelard, see Durand's ofVico,Jung, tion Corbin, [(1964)1999] belatedly a particular between of a union whoclaimed to be theproduct I knowof one Yagwoiawoman Nevertheless, to particular irreducible whohaveas their kindof wildspirit Theyarerestricted shapethebodyof a python. woman as heractualillicit to theunsuspecting This serpent in theYagwoiaterritory. localities spirit appeared 'his' semen A shaman toremove histrue toher. 'he' revealed thecoitus lover butafter human managed identity herwomb butshenevertheless from blue - 'likeink',andyellow) ofblack-dark colour (saidtohavea mixed this with Ifa manhasintercourse to a female andgavebirth spirit babywhogrew up andmarried. gotpregnant is inaccessible toshamans. inthespirit/serpent's remains be helped sincehissemen hecannot bodywhich is alwaysa maligSickness cannibalistic. areprimarily of thedead (wopa-ilymane) Hyaqayeandthespirits in sickness, one's bone-marrow Thisis most nant katabolic that, bythenotion expressed powerfully activity. inside thebones(ilymane is eaten ngalyatand) yekna yekmani-i'nena bythespirit from thewildspirits. toacquire onset intheperiod oftheir Andso only healing powers they begin phasewhen 1963:551-52;vonFranz1985:91-92 1969:176-177, Jung sex andanyage,buton balanceI cannot ofeither semblance human can assume Thatis,thesespirits saythat the or as thecase maybe. Through as old,young, ordetermined aresexedas ambisexual, in themselves they oftheir as a vitalexpressions denizens thesespirit theYagwoia, with ofmyliving psychic experiencing years as radical oftheir I havecometothink negativity. quiddity beingandlife-world, was puttorest. matter andthis werefound thepower-objects a yearlater About to 5>usan madeby a Kaduwagan is a remark ofthis, A beautiful Montague (Trobnand archipelago) example and Lifein the on thecoverof thevolumeeditedDamonand Wagner and published (1989), Death Rituals dead thedead,whereas andwe eat for theliving, Societies your youjustbury oftheKula Ring,: 'We eat for alone'. andeatfor yourselves and soul-incorporation rituals of mortuary For an account (YagAnkave-Angans amongtheNorth-western see Bonnemere intheGulfProvince), woia's southern (1996:154-164,213-14). neighbours educational various health introduced is a notion Germ prothrough bythecolonialadministration originally whichevery human of aa'mnye/qw/olde dirt, Germis equatedwiththenotion bodyconkilyce, grammes. sexualcontact. andaccumulates tains through is brothers several whois theonlysister a woman Sucha manis aapalwlana(from among aapala = woman); awole= man). awouwlana (from was also themainreasonwhytheYagwoiaused to smoke to a deceasedrelative attachment The intense is ofthedeceasedwhosebodily thebodily topreserve Thispractice disintegration identity purported corpses. of deathas a living characteristics worldtheessential imminent (see Mimica,1991). In theYagwoia lifeofthedeceased. andtheloss ofthebodily stench aredecomposition, presence process nameofa deadbody, is thesensory as 'dead' and'death'butitsprimary aspect significance Piyecanbe glossed orcrowded A populous All pungent odour, (death-smell) smells, arepiy-agne heavy bodily eg.,farth, ly stench. with itstinks that stench' 'human as 'aamnye , ie.,itis so crowded people. person piyagne\ placeis characterised
32.
33.
34.
35. 36. 37. 38.
39. 40.
41. 42. 43 . 44.
45.
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The Death ofa Strong, Great,Bad Man: An Ethnography Of Soul Incorporation

Bad Man Deathofa Strong, Great,

Death of a Strong,Great,Bad Man

Death of a Strong,Great,Bad Man

35. 36. 37. 38.

41. 42. 43 . 44.

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